Prepare Your Mind & Body For a Good Night’s Sleep With These Relaxing Bedtime Rituals

I feel like an evening routine always gets overshadowed by its cooler younger sister, the morning routine.

But the truth is, they are just as important as each other as your morning always starts the night before.

So wake up every morning feeling refreshed by spending your evening unwinding with these relaxing bedtime rituals.

Credit: Karolina Grabowska | Pexels

Most of my evenings during my early to mid-twenties were spent getting drunk, partying and staying up late.

I couldn’t think of anything worse than going home after work to be alone with my thoughts.

So the more plans I had in the evenings the better.

But it was exhausting.

I would have interrupted sleep and wake up with a thumping headache.

A hangover was no way to spend my morning and it definitely did not set me up for a successful day.

But in a way, I guess that is just the natural cycle of life.

To be young and carefree before grounding yourself and learning to take care of your health and wellbeing.

I now cherish my evenings.

They allow me the space I need to wind down after a long day and relax my mind and body so I am ready for bed by 11 pm.

So if you are currently struggling to unwind after a long day, or have trouble sleeping then build yourself a bedtime routine.

A bedtime routine provides you with the structure and downtime you need to prepare your body for sleep. There’s nothing worse than trying to sleep straight after shutting down your laptop or turning off the TV.

So allow your mind the time it needs to find calm, and your body the time it needs to relax by spending your night unwinding with these relaxing bedtime rituals.

And just like its cooler younger sister, the morning routine, your evening routine can be anything you want it to be.
Just try to avoid screens at least an hour before bed and limit your caffeine intake 6 hours before you go to bed.

40 Relaxing bedtime rituals for a good night’s sleep

From doing a simple jigsaw puzzle to giving yourself a gentle face massage, here is an extensive list of relaxing bedtime rituals to help calm the mind and prepare your body for a good night’s sleep.

Choose 3–5 small and big rituals when building your routine and spend between 1–2 hours before bed unwinding.

Relaxing bedtime rituals for the mind

1. Establish an end-of-day routine to help you shut down from work
2. Tidy away any clutter in your bedroom
3. Layout your outfit for tomorrow
4. Put your phone on ‘do not disturb’
5. Diffuse some essential oils
6. Spray your pillow with lavender
7. Ditch the caffeine and drink chamomile tea instead
8. Dim the lights and light some candles
9. Colour-in an adult colouring book
10. Sit and do a simple jigsaw puzzle
11. Read a chapter or two of a fiction book
12. Go screen-free at least an hour before bed
13. Create a calming music playlist or listen to this mellow acoustic one
14. Listen to binaural beats or soothing ocean sounds
15. Put on a guided meditation for sleep
16. Reflect on the day and journal
17. Practice gratitude by writing down 3 amazing things that happened today
18. Write down 2 things you are looking forward to tomorrow
19. Plan for tomorrow
20. Sit for 2-mins and focus on your breathing

Save these bedtime rituals for the mind on Pinterest!

Relaxing bedtime rituals for the body

1. Eat a light, healthy dinner
2. Have a cuddle session with a loved one or pet
3. Enjoy a relaxing hot bath in candlelight
4. Slowly drink a glass of red wine and nibble on dark chocolate
5. Have a cooling shower to reset your body temperature
6. Change into clean, soft, comfy pyjamas
7. Do some light stretches or bedtime yoga
8. Follow the 10–3–2–1–0 formula; no more caffeine 10-hours before bed, no more food or alcohol 3-hours before bed, no more work 2-hours before bed, no screens 1-hour before bed and 0 is the number of times you’ll hit your snooze button in the morning
9. Take probiotics before bed for a healthy gut
10. Have sex or masturbate
11. Get your partner to give you a massage (or buy yourself a back massager and do it yourself)
12. Build a nighttime skin routine — exfoliate and moisturise all over
13. Apply hand cream and lip balm
14. Put on a face and/or hair mask
15. Brush your hair and apply serum to the ends
16. Set a timer and brush your teeth for 2-mins
17. Massage your feet to get the blood flowing
18. Give yourself a face massage taking special care with your temples and eyelids
19. Hydrate and drink some water before bed
20. Go to bed at the same time every night

Save these bedtime rituals for the body on Pinterest!

Before I go

Just like with my list of morning routine ideas, I suggest testing out these relaxing bedtime rituals first before fully committing to them.

The trick is to find out what works for you.

Try putting together an evening routine tracker to help you track which bedtime rituals you found relaxing and which ones you would do again.

Rate each ritual out of 5 stars. Ask yourself, “how did this ritual make me feel?.”

Or make things easier for yourself with The Wellness Planner, which includes a done-for-you evening routine builder so you can build a routine that works for you.

This 18-page planner provides you with the accountability and structure you need to schedule in time to take care of yourself so you can wave goodbye to burnout.

Use it to:

• Build a morning & evening routine that works for you
• Successfully build better habits
• Track sleep
• Map out your meals & exercise for a healthy week
• Reflect on the day and practice gratitude
• Plan out a week of self-care activities
• Journal your thoughts & feelings
• Plus much much more

learn more

♡ Thalia xx

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